Volume 2 Chapter 32 Obsession
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Otto, having been cast out from the Hero’s Party, didn’t even consider the suggestion of starting an adventurer’s life within the Maultasche Kingdom. He knew exactly what would happen-he would be mocked and pointed at as the “incompetent fool” who got the boot.
(Why me? What am I supposed to do now? Those bastards… they treated my contributions like they were nothing!) Thoughts swirled in his head, a dark whirlpool of resentment that slowly pulled him under.
Then, he hit upon a solution. If Maultasche wouldn’t have him, surely another country would jump at the chance to recruit him. Yes, it had to be true. Those idiots couldn’t grasp his value, but in his previous life, he had been an elite-a man with a doctorate. To a person with actual discernment, his worth would be obvious. Once he found a new patron, he could finally look down on the ones who had discarded him.
However, word of his expulsion might have already spread. He couldn’t be sure anyone would listen to him if he arrived empty-handed. He needed a “gift.” If he handed over something truly precious, they would welcome him with open arms. If he played his cards right, he might even be scouted as a Knight Order Commander¹. It wasn’t just a dream; it was a plan.
Driven by these delusions of a grand future, Otto began to run through the drizzling rain. His destination: the Maultasche Royal Capital.
* * *
Up until now, he had always traveled by carriage, but he remembered the general route. He sprinted along the main roads, covering a week’s journey in a mere three days. While his speed stats were low, he managed it through the sheer brute force of his high level and the massive stamina reserves inherent to the Heavy Warrior² class.
Arriving at the capital on the night of the third day, Otto requested an urgent audience with Knight Order Commander Günther.
”Günther-san, I’m sorry to bother you so late,” Otto said. “I’ve come under secret orders from Hero Shouta-san from the Hero’s Party to collect a specific item he entrusted to the vault.”
”Hmm…” Günther replied.
Otto pointedly avoided using the formal title “Commander,” opting for the familiar “Günther-san” instead. It was a petty trick-one of many sycophantic techniques he used to lower a person’s guard.
Günther, however, wasn’t so easily swayed. The knights traveling with the Hero’s Party had already sent word to the capital via a magical communication tool. The message had been brief: “Heavy Warrior Otto expelled from party. Details to follow at rotation.” Because those devices consumed a massive amount of mana and Magic Stone³, sending a detailed report had been impossible.
Even so, the news of the expulsion had arrived, however incomplete. Günther looked at Otto with deep suspicion, wondering why a man who had supposedly been exiled was standing before him.
”Otto,” Günther said. “I received word that you were removed from the party several days ago. I find it hard to believe that Shouta-dono would entrust a mission to you under these circumstances.”
”You’re right… I was indeed expelled, so I can’t blame you for doubting me,” Otto replied. He let his voice tremble, forcing a look of piteous desperation onto his face. “But this is the one final thing I begged of them! A last chance to repay the Hero’s Party for everything they did for me! I know I’m just a Heavy Warrior who can’t do anything but take hits! But they were so good to me! I just… I just wanted to help! Sob…!”
As Otto poured out his heart, his voice cracking with performative emotion as he shed practiced tears, Günther found himself moved. He judged the man to be telling the truth. It was a devastating mistake. Otto had no real talent for acting, but as someone who lived a life of constant exaggeration, he knew exactly how to hyper-inflate his own fake emotions.
”I understand. That’s enough,” Günther said. “What was it you were told to bring?”
”The item from the Sealed Vault,” Otto replied.
”The Sealed Vault?” Günther flinched. It was not a place from which items were removed lightly. “Is that the truth? The artifacts in there aren’t meant to be carried off on a whim.”
”Günther-san! I… I am truly grateful to them! Please!” Otto cried out.
”Alright, alright, I get it,” Günther said, waving a hand to silence him.
Pushed by the sheer, desperate intensity of Otto’s acting, Günther decided to believe him, despite the nagging doubt in his mind. Günther’s inherent nature-his desire to believe in the goodness of others-had turned into a fatal flaw.
As one of the few individuals with authority to access the Sealed Vault, Günther led the way. Since Otto had no way to approach the King or the Prime Minister, Günther had been his only viable target. Having successfully deceived the man, Otto stepped into the inner sanctum of the vault.
”So, Otto, which one is it?” Günther asked.
”This one,” Otto said, pointing toward the [Wishing Device]⁴.
Like everything else in the vault, it was a volatile artifact that could cause catastrophic damage if misused.
”Do you know the proper usage?” Günther asked.
”Yes. With the battles ahead growing more perilous, the [Wishing Device] is to be our ultimate trump card,” Otto replied.
It was true that the monsters the party would face next were becoming threats far beyond the reach of ordinary knights. Since the explanation wasn’t technically wrong, Günther allowed it.
”Very well. Is that all?” Günther asked.
”Yes. Thank you so much,” Otto said.
”Umu. Let’s head out, then,” Günther replied.
Günther’s second mistake was turning his back on Otto for a single, fleeting second. In that moment, Otto managed to swipe a second item.
He stole the [Mental Slave Manufacturer (Black Company)]⁵-a magical tool capable of brainwashing a target over time, even if the user lacked mental magic. Otto didn’t have a specific plan for it yet, but he figured that when it came to “gifts” for a new employer, the more the merrier.
Otto could have tried to ambush Günther right then to loot the rest of the vault, but he refrained. It wasn’t because of any moral qualms about murder; it was because he desperately needed a few days’ head start to cross the border without being hunted. If he became a wanted criminal now, his escape route would be cut off.
Time was the most valuable resource he had. With a few days’ lead, he could reach a foreign nation beyond the reach of the Maultasche Kingdom.
”Thank you for everything, especially so late at night,” Otto said. “I’ll make sure these get to them immediately.”
”I’m counting on you,” Günther said.
And so, Otto obtained the dangerous artifacts. Posing as an ordinary adventurer, he crossed the national border a few days later. It was not until three days after his escape that the order for his arrest finally reached the border guards.
—
Summary:
Following his expulsion, Otto decides to defect to a rival nation by stealing powerful artifacts from the Maultasche Kingdom. He manipulates Commander Günther through performative grief to gain access to the Sealed Vault. Successfully stealing two dangerous items, he flees across the border just before his arrest warrant is issued.
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Trivia:
- Otto was an elite in a previous life, holding a doctorate.
- Communication magical tools consume significant mana and Magic Stones, limiting detailed reports.
- The ‘Black Company’ item is a literal brainwashing machine, a dark pun on Japanese work culture.
- Günther’s tragic flaw is his desire to believe in the inherent goodness of people.
- Otto covered a 7-day journey in 3 days using high stamina and high level ‘brute force’
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Character Insight:
Otto shows a complete lack of loyalty or remorse, viewing his former party and the kingdom only as obstacles or sources of loot. His manipulation of Günther highlights his sociopathic tendencies and his reliance on ‘performance’ to get what he wants.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author notes that Otto’s acting is technically poor, but his habit of lying makes him effective at inflating his own emotions to deceive others.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Otto – Heavy Warrior, once the 52‑level tank of the Hero Party and a doctor‑degree holder, now a creepy 50‑year‑old mind trapped in a youthful body. He dons bulky armor and a stern face, is narcissistic, status‑obsessed and manipulative, obedient to Shouta and Takumi but tyrannical toward Ren and staff, pretends to mentor yet is a nuisance. Expelled from the Hero’s Party, he is delusional, sociopathic, and cares only for his own advancement.
• Aya – A 165 cm tall, slender alchemist with long hair and a flat chest, wearing no armor. Serious and straight‑laced, she serves the Working Women Party and the Leemans Party, formerly a pharmacist, now an apprentice alchemist. Clean‑prudent, she appears as the protagonist’s lover in his delusions.
• Mia – A beastman girl with golden short bob hair and cat-like ears. Approximately 145cm (4’9″) tall. Currently in a growth period with a youthful, soft physique. Working as a street worker for money.
• Rin – Ice Mage of the JK Party: a tall, large‑breasted high‑school girl with long shaggy hair and thick chest armor. She wears a cool‑beauty façade but secretly loves makeup. Quiet and salty, her fragile VIT makes her physically imposing yet fragile; only intimate moments crack her mask, and her overwhelming presence dominates those around her, especially Daisuke’s delusion.
• Günther – Commander of the Maultasche Kingdom’s Knight Order, he wears polished silver armor etched with the royal crest, a stern gaze and a scar across his left cheek. Trusting yet authoritative, he can open the Sealed Vault and mentors the Hero’s Party, serving loyally under Martina and the King while wielding healing magic.
• Shouta – 17‑year‑old silver‑haired, sharp‑eyed former Student Council President and kendo captain, now Sword Saint Hero of Slash and Lightning wielding Beacon of Hope. He leads the Hero Party, travels with handlers, is coldly pragmatic and shuns caretakers. Also the Hero who expelled Otto and allegedly gave him secret orders.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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